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The Relateds

This time, the Congress' election campaign in Gujarat is being led not by any of its political leaders. The party's poll blitzkrieg is being spearheaded by pretty teleserial actor Tulika.

Tulika, a Gujarati television actor, has been commissioned by the party to reach out to voters in its ad campaigns in the electronic as well as social media.

"We decided to go without any leader's face in our campaign as that may create intra-party rifts, apart from threatening caste equations," said a senior Congress worker, adding that the actress fitted its bill to represent the issues that Congress wants to raise ahead of the election.

"She even wrote the script of an advertisement herself," the worker said.

By far, around 23 such advertisements have been released in the local electronic media. All these advertisements end with the slogan, "Let us change the course, change the condition".

Interestingly, the party is keeping the actor out of bounds of the media. "Everything is being handled directly by the office of Ahmed Patel in Delhi and that of Siddharth Patel in Ahmedabad," said Vishakha from the agency that is handling the campaign.

Not only in the electronic media, the Congress has also started a Facebook page, 'Tulika for Gujarat', to reach out to voters while an independent website too has come up in the same name, which according to party insiders is not being handled by the party.

The Facebook page has triggered a virtual cyber war between the Congress and the BJP as the saffron party too has initiated a page in the same name, adding (within brackets) "to ruin the course and condition of Congress".

The original Congress page 'Tulika for Gujarat' introduces itself by saying, "Hi I'm Tulika. Your friend. Your well-wisher. Your voice!!! Today I represent the conscience of Gujarat as it once again stands united against the divisive forces that have been at Gujarat since last 12 yearsâ€¦"

The page started by the BJP says, "Hi I'm Tulika. Your friend cause I got money to be your friend. Congress' well-wisher cause they paying lot money. Congressi voice!!! Today I represent the Gujarat Congress as they running out of leader and brought me from stage (sic)."